Embraer is far from the production and sales levels of 2017, when it delivered 101 commercial aircraft to its customers. The following year, the E2 family debuted but without the same shine as the first generation.
Francisco Gomes Neto, CEO of the Brazilian planemaker, however, is optimistic and believes that the time has come for the E190-E2 and E195-E2, the two models that offer 110 to 146 seats with a much higher economy than their predecessors.
In an interview with Aviation & Week, the chief executive of Embraer blamed the shortage of pilots in the US for the drop in demand for commercial aircraft.
“We would have more opportunities if there weren’t a pilot shortage in the U.S.,” he said. Gomes Neto, however, mentioned again that the company is currently discussing the possible sale of more than 200 commercial jets.
“We will not win all of them, but we have good opportunities”, he added.
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Less E175
Until March, the E2 customer base had only 270 aircraft with firm orders – 245 of them for the E195-E2. The first generation E1s, on the other hand, had already surpassed 1,770 orders since 2004, when the program was launched.
When mentioning the United States, Gomes Neto was referring, however, to the E175, a tailor-made aircraft to meet the scope clause of the country’s regional airlines.
With a limit of 76 seats and a maximum takeoff weight of 46 tons, the clause prevents the operation of larger aircraft to preserve jobs at major carriers such as American, United, Delta and Alaska.
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The Embraer CEO, who should attend the Paris Air Show next week, reinforced his goal of returning to producing and delivering more than a hundred commercial jets in the coming years, which should guarantee a higher profit margin.
